An international roundtable entitled “Combating human trafficking in SE Europe and the Black Sea Region: Identification of trafficked persons–National Referral Mechanisms – Migration” was held in Athens, Greece on 8-9 June 2011.

It is well documented that irregular migration is closely connected with serious human rights violations and exploitation, most notably trafficking in human beings and human smuggling, and often acts as a catalyst for further victimization as it places individuals in a particularly vulnerable situation by creating the necessary conditions for coercion and exploitation.